ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Ministry of Defence
New explosive detection device, developed by DRDO & IISc Bangalore, unveiled in Pune
RaIDer-X, a new explosive detection device, was unveiled at the National Workshop on Explosive Detection  in Pune today. RaIDer-X has the capability to detect explosives from a stand-off distance. The data library can be built in the system to expand its capability to detect a number of explosives in pure form as well as with the contaminants. Bulk explosive in concealed condition can also be detected by the device.RaIDer-X has been co-developed by High Energy Materials Research Laboratory  Puneand Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.
The NWED-2020 was inaugurated by Secretary, Department of Defence Research &Developmentand Chairman Defence Research & Development Organisation  Dr G Satheesh Reddy. The two-day workshop has been organised by HEMRL Puneon its diamond jubilee celebration. HEMRL Pune is a premier laboratory of DRDO. It provides a platform to scientists, technocrats and users to share knowledge, experience and updated information on the technological advancements made in the recent past. The workshop will help in the further development of explosive detection devices and keep abreast on the recent development and advancements in the field of explosive detection.
In his address, the DRDO Chairman emphasised that detection of explosives is a compelling need of the hour. He said, security agencies are continuously monitoring vulnerable targets with the help of intelligence agencies to thwart the attempts of anti-social elements.Dr Reddy appreciated the joint pursuit of academia and DRDO in developing portable devices, which can now be safely and effectively used by security agencies. He also released a souvenir comprising of abstracts from eminent speakers of DRDO laboratories, IITs, Advanced Centre of Research in High Energy Materials, University of Hyderabad, other universities and delegates.
A total of 250 delegates from different DRDO laboratories, Army, CRPF, CISF, State Police, academic Institutes, industries and other security agencies are attending the workshop.
ABB/SS/Nampi/KA/DK/Savvy/ADA
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Special Service and Features
REGISTRATION OPEN TILL 15 MARCH FOR AGNIVEER RECRUITMENT RALLY
Notification for Agniveer  category under Agnipath scheme has been published on www.joinindianarmy.nic.in on 15 Feb 2023. Applications are invited from unmarried male candidates from 11 Districts of Tamil Nadu under the Recruiting Office , Chennai i.e Cuddalore, Vellore, Tirupathur, Ranipet, Tiruvannamalai, Chennai, Thiruvallur, Villupuram, Kallakurichi, Kancheepuram, Chengalpattu and Puducherry District of Puducherry  for various categories that include Agniveer General Duty, Agniveer Technical, Agniveer Clerk/ Store Keeper Technical, Agniveer Tradesman 10th Pass and Agniveer Tradesman 8th Pass.
Candidates will have to apply online only, on www.joinindianarmy.nic.in for which the registration had commenced from 16 Feb 2023 and will close on 15 Mar 2023. Admit cards for online written exam, scheduled with effect from 17 Apr 2023 onwards, will be issued online. Candidates are advised to keep checking www.joinindianarmy.nic.in and their registered e-mail IDs for the admit cards. For any assistance candidates may get in touch with Recruiting Office , Chennai located in Fort Saint George Complex  & Tele No 044-25674924.
The recruitment process is fully automated, fair and transparent and candidates must guard against touts/ fraudsters who claim that they can help anyone pass or get enrolled. Only hard work and preparation will ensure their selection as per merit. Touts and agents have no role to play and candidates are advised not to be lured by such agents/ agencies.
Ministry of Home Affairs
Census 2021
The Office of Registrar General and Census Commissioner, India in the Ministry of Home Affairs has initiated the preparatory work for conducting next Population Census 2021.
Meetings with stakeholders including Central Government Ministries/ Departments, State Governments and data users in the country are underway. Based on inputs from all the stakeholders, the questionnaire for census will be decided and pilot testing done.
In Census, data are collected on all persons who are present in the country during the period of Census enumeration.
This was stated by the Minister of State for Home Affairs, Shri Hansraj Gangaram Ahir in a written reply to question in the Lok Sabha today.
Prime Minister's Office
PM flags off Kerala’s first Vande Bharat Express between Thiruvananthapuram and Kasargod at Thiruvananthapuram Central Station, Kerala
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi flagged off Kerala’s first Vande Bharat Express between Thiruvananthapuram and Kasargod at Thiruvananthapuram Central Station today. Upon arriving at the venue, the Prime Minister inspected the Thiruvananthapuram - Kasargod Vande Bharat Express and also interacted with children as well as with the train’s crew.
The train will cover 11 districts namely Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Palakkad, Pathanamthitta, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Kannur and Kasargod.
The Prime Minister tweeted:
“Flagged off Kerala’s first Vande Bharat Express, which will enhance connectivity from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod.”
The Prime Minister was accompanied by the Governor of Kerala, Shri Arif Mohammed Khan, the Chief Minister of Kerala, Shri Pinarayi Vijayan and the Union Minister for Railways, Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw.
Ministry of Tourism
India Tourism and Uber Cabs collaborate to celebrate Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav
Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav Branding on Passenger Cabs in Mumbai
Mumbai : 14 August 2021
As part of creating awareness of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, India tourism Mumbai, Regional office of Ministry of Tourism , Govt of India has launched branding campaign on the passenger cabs in Mumbai.
This month-long campaign was flagged off on today by Shri Venkatesan Dhattareyan, Regional Director  in Mumbai.
The theme chosen is Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav Campaign “Celebrating the life of Every Indian” and “Azadi Trails”. The message through this branding is– India’s 1.3 billion people are celebrating the fabulous 75 year old journey as the world’s largest democracy.
Azadi Trails encourages people to explore historic places associated with India’s freedom struggle near them.
In the first phase, branding has been done on 27 cabs operating out of Mumbai Airport. These cabs will travel all across Mumbai, reaching a wider audience.
CP/PM
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Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs
“Partition Horrors Remembrance Day- A Day to maintain peace and harmony while strengthening secular fabric of our nation: PM”
~ Shri Hardeep S. Puri honours 75 Great personalities who faced tragedy of partition ~
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi remembered victims whose lives were lost in the partition of the country, as the nation observes 'Vibhajan Vibhishika Smriti Diwas' today. Shri Modi paid tributes to them and recalled the struggles of those who were uprooted from their homes. In a tweet, the Prime Minister said;
“विभाजन विभीषिका स्मृति दिवस उन भारतवासियों को श्रद्धापूर्वक स्मरण करने का अवसर है, जिनका जीवन देश के बंटवारे की बलि चढ़ गया। इसके साथ ही यह दिन उन लोगों के कष्ट और संघर्ष की भी याद दिलाता है, जिन्हें विस्थापन का दंश झेलने को मजबूर होना पड़ा। ऐसे सभी लोगों को मेरा शत-शत नमन।”
Shri Hardeep S. Puri, Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs and Petroleum and Natural Gas honoured 75 Great personalities who faced tragedy of partition, at the Partition Horrors Remembrance Day organized by the Ministry of Culture, here today. He stated that the day will ensure that future generations never forget the pain and suffering of the countless people that were displaced and the millions that lost their lives due to the communal tensions  that occurred during that time.
Image 1: Partition Horrors Remembrance Day
Honoring the lives lost during the tragic partition and the unimaginable suffering of displacement, the Minister stated that wrong policies of those in charge led to the partition of India. He further said that my parents were victims of the ravages of this greatest human tragedy. Born in 1952, I grew up listening to how my father miraculously escaped the carnage & boarded the last Frontier Mail from Lahore. My parents and several other members of the family had to begin their lives from scratch.
Image 2: Exhibition on Horrors of Partition
Shri Hardeep S. Puri later inaugurated an Exhibition on Horrors of Partition on this occasion with Sh. Rakesh Sinha, Member of Parliament and addressed the 1947 Partition Survivors. The event was jointly organized by the Partition Museum, IGNCA, and Ministry of Culture, Govt. of India.
Prime Minister's Office
PM congratulates Shri Siddaramaiah and Shri D K Sivakumar on taking oath
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has congratulated Shri Siddaramaiah and Shri D K Sivakumar on taking oath as Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka.
The Prime Minister tweeted:
"Congratulations to Shri @siddaramaiah Ji on taking oath as Karnataka CM and Shri @DKShivakumar Ji on taking oath as Deputy CM. My best wishes for a fruitful tenure."
"ಕರ್ನಾಟಕದ ಮುಖ್ಯಮಂತ್ರಿಯಾಗಿ ಪ್ರಮಾಣ ವಚನ ಸ್ವೀಕರಿಸಿದ ಶ್ರೀ @siddaramaiah ಜೀ ಮತ್ತು ಉಪಮುಖ್ಯಮಂತ್ರಿಯಾಗಿ ಪ್ರಮಾಣವಚನ ಸ್ವೀಕರಿಸಿದ ಶ್ರೀ @DKShivakumar ಜೀ ಅವರಿಗೆ ಅಭಿನಂದನೆಗಳು. ಫಲಪ್ರದ ಅಧಿಕಾರಾವಧಿಗಾಗಿ ನನ್ನ ಶುಭ ಹಾರೈಕೆಗಳು."
Ministry of Education
Minister of State for HRD Shri Sanjay Dhotre Discusses Bilateral issues on Education with the South African Deputy Minister for Higher Education
A delegation led by the South Africa’s Deputy Minister for Higher Education Mr Buti Kgwaridi Manamela called upon the Minister of State  for Human Resource Development, Shri Sanjay Dhotre, today in New Delhi. During the meeting, the discussion between the two Ministers was focussed mainly on recent Government of India  initiatives and agreements under negotiation between the two countries. The South African side raised the issue regarding agreement on cooperation in the field of Higher Education including mutual recognition of different academic qualifications. They also proposed formation of a Joint Committee on Education involving the two countries for better coordination.
Shri Dhotre stressed on the historic connection between the two countries and also mentioned Mahatma Gandhi’s involvement in the non-violent movement in South Africa, especially in the context of 150th Birth Anniversary celebrations of the Mahatma.
MoS also specified that South Africa is one of the countries covered under the GoI’s Scheme for Promotion of Academic and Research Collaboration , a scheme aimed towards improving the research ecosystem by facilitating academic and research collaborations between Indian institutions and the best institutions in the world to jointly solve problems of national and international relevance. So far, since the launch of the scheme in the year 2018, four research project proposals from the South African institutions have been accepted under this. Similarly, 17 reputed South African faculty members have, so far, arrived under the Global Initiative of Academic Networks  programme, for short-term teaching assignments in the Indian institutions.
A comprehensive Memorandum of Association  covering different facets mutual cooperation in the field of education is under negotiation between the two countries.
Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions
Guidelines Against Corrupt and Nonperforming Employees
The provisions under Fundamental Rules  56, Rule 48 of Central Civil Services   Rules, 1972 and Rule 16 of All India Services  [AIS Rules, 1958, have laid down the policy of periodic review and premature retirement of Government servants, which is a continuous process. These are reiterated from time to time and lastly on 20.6.2019.
As per information furnished by Ministries/Departments through probity portal, During April-May,2019, FR 56/similar provisions have been invoked/recommended against a total of 17 Group-B officers  as in following table:
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S.No
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Cadre Controlling Authority
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No. of Group-B officers
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1
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Department of Commerce
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02
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2
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Department of Expenditure
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09
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3
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Controller General of Defence Accounts, Ministry of Defence
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02
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4.
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Building Materials and Technology Promotion Council, Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs
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02
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5
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Building Materials and Technology Promotion Council, Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs
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02
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Total
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17
It has also been reiterated vide OM dated 20.6.2019 to ensure that the prescribed procedure like forming of opinion to retire a Government employee prematurely in public interest is strictly adhered to, and that the decision is not an arbitrary one, and is not based on collateral grounds.
This was stated by the Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Dr. Jitendra Singh in a written reply to question in the Rajya Sabha today.
Ministry of Agriculture &
Farmers Welfare
Agriculture Secretary Shri Sanjay Agarwal reviews locust control operations at high-level meeting
As per the directions of the Union Minister of Agriculture, Secretary, Department of Agriculture, Cooperation & Farmers Welfare, Shri Sanjay Agarwal chaired a high-level meeting here today on Desert Locust Control. Senior Officers from the State Governments of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Punjab and Haryana, officers from Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Home, National Disaster Management Authority and CMD of HIL  Limited, Special Secretary, DAC&FW, Agriculture Commissioner and other officers of DAC&FW participated in the meeting.
During the presentation, the locust control operations done from May 2019 to February 2020, challenges faced and its achievements were discussed. Losses caused by locust attack in Rajasthan and Gujarat and status of support under SDRF/NDRF was discussed. It was informed that Inter-Ministerial teams had visited both Rajasthan & Gujarat to assess the crop loss so that additional funds, if required may be issued from NDRF as per norms.
Control Operations were reviewed and Secretary DAC&FW appreciated the excellent cooperation and coordination between State Governments and Central Government Departments. Next year’s plan was discussed in detail as per the inputs from different stakeholders. It was planned that Central Government will conduct Awareness campaigns/training for State Government Officials/BSF personnel/Revenue Department officials/farmers at village level. Shri Agarwal directed officials to organize training and awareness programmes in all 4 states  during March-April.
Report of Senior Locust Forecasting Officer of FAO, who visited India on January 16-17, 2020 was discussed. He has appreciated India’s efforts, noting “swarms would be present in Haryana and Punjab, moving east towards Bangladesh similar to the 1950 when there were devastating plagues that lasted up to 14 consecutive years.”
Keeping in view this year’s experiences, Secretary DAC&FW advised to strengthen joint coordinated efforts with Locust Warning Organization, State Agriculture Department, BSF and Farmers. Agriculture Secretary assured that all required assistance will be provided to State Governments for locust control.
For next year, it is proposed to strengthen the control capabilities, logistics  both in States and Central level and Capacity building programmes will be conducted.
The Secretary said the Coordination Group Meeting of neighbouring countries namely, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran and Bangladesh may be convened. He appreciated this year’s outstanding work in locust control and thanked all the participants and expected better efforts in future.
Ministry of Culture
Ministry of Culture to commemorate the 250th Birth Anniversary of Raja Ram Mohan Roy from 22nd May 2022 to 22nd May 2023.
Shri G. Kishan Reddy to unveil an iconic statue of Raja Ram Mohan Roy at the inaugural ceremony in Kolkata tomorrow
Under the aegis of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav , the Ministry of Culture is commemorating the 250th Birth Anniversary of Shri Raja Ram Mohan Roy from 22nd May 2022 to 22nd May 2023. The inaugural ceremony will take place at Raja Ram Mohan Roy Library Foundation, Salt Lake, Kolkata, and at Science City Auditorium, Kolkata. Union Minister of Culture,Tourism, and of Development of North Eastern Region  Shri G. Kishan Reddy, and Governor of West Bengal, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar will be gracing the ceremony on 22nd May 2022.
An iconic statue of Raja Ram Mohan Roy will be unveiled by the Minister of Culture, Shri G. Kishan Reddy in a virtual mode at Raja Ram Mohan Roy Library Foundation, Kolkata at 11:00 AM.
Several other events will also be held at Salt Lake, Science City Auditorium, Kolkata. A seminar and quiz program for children will also be organized. A multimedia presentation on various facets of the life of Shri Raja Ram Mohan Roy will also be presented.
Election Commission
In Chhattisgarh, Bastar to go to polls on 11th April, 2019
In the State of Chhattisgarh, only one parliamentary constituency  namely Bastar will be going to polls on 11th April, 2019. The Constituency of Bastar is reserved for the Schedule Tribe and has an electorate of 13,77,946 out of which 6,62,355 are male voters, 7,15,550 are female voters and 41 are others. The Number of Polling booths that have been set up are 1,878.
The PC of Bastar comprises of 8 assembly constituencies. The time schedule for polling at various assembly constituencies has been decided by the Election Commission. Polling will take place between 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM in assembly constituencies of Kondagaon, Chitrakot, Bastar and Jagdalpur while polling will take place between 7:00 AM to 3:00 PM in assembly constituencies of Narayanpur, Dantewada, Bijapur and Konta due to security reasons.
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Gender
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Number of electorates
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Percentage of electorates
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Male
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6,62,355
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48.07%
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Female
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7,15,550
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51.93%
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Others
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41
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--
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Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions
Annual Work Plan 2021-22 of DARPG
The Budget Allocations for DARPG  for 2021-22 stands at Rs. 15 crores under scheme and Rs. 30 crores under non-scheme.
The following activities will be taken up by the DARPG in 2021-22.
- Civil Services Day 2021 will be celebrated on April 21, 2021
- Prime Minister’s Awards for Excellence in Public Administration 2021 will be conferred on October 31, 2021
- The National e-Governance Awards 2021 shall be conferred along with the National e-Governance Conference at a date to be announced separately.
- The DARPG shall conduct 4 Regional Conferences for knowledge dissemination and replication of best administrative practices.
- Projects will be taken up under the State Collaboration Initiative Scheme for helping States adopt the award-winning practices.
- Promote e-Office in Central Ministries and Attached/ Subordinate/ Autonomous Offices.
- Modernization of Government offices
- CPGRAMS Reforms to be implemented in Central Ministries/ State Governments with focus on timely disposal of public grievances.
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SNC
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Ministry of Commerce & Industry
Postal Department organises International Letter Writing competition 2021 for young people
Department of Posts is organising Universal Postal Union’s 2021 International Letter Writing Competition for Young People in all States of the country through the respective Postal Circle Offices. The subject for the Competition is “Write a letter to a family member about your experience with COVID-19” and shall be open to school going children up-to the age of 15 years as on 31.03.2021. The Competition may be conducted in the Schools/Centres by the concerned Postal Circle of the State and the candidates are also given the option for participating in the Competition at their home without their physical appearance at the Schools/Centres. Those candidates who wish to participate from home must send their entries through the mode of Speed Post to the designated Nodal Officer of the concerned Postal Circle Office along with credentials.
All details are available on the website of India Post, the link ofwhichis as under:
https://www.indiapost.gov.in/VAS/Pages/News/Letter_Writing_2021.pdf
Queries, if any, may be sent at e-mail ID rn.sikaria[at]gov[dot]in
Cabinet
Cabinet apprised of the MoU between India and Italy on cooperation in the field of renewable energy
The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has been apprised of the Memorandum of Understanding  on India-Italy Cooperation in Renewable Energy between India and Italy. The MoU was signed on 30th October, 2017 at New Delhi. The MoU was signed by Shri Anand Kumar, Secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Government of the Republic of India and H.E. Mr. Lorenzo ANGELONI, Italian Ambassador to India.
India and Italy aim to establish the basis for a cooperative institutional relationship to encourage and promote technical bilateral cooperation on new and renewable issues on the basis of mutual benefit equality and reciprocity. The MoU envisages establishing a Joint Working Committee to review, monitor and discuss matters relation to areas of cooperation. It aims for exchange of expertise and networking of information and helps in strengthening bilateral cooperation between the two countries.
Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas
Ethanol storage capacity at various locations in the country is being augmented on ongoing basis
Ethanol is stored at multiple locations including refineries, terminals and suppliers’ own premises in accordance with blending requirements. Presently, adequate arrangements exist for storage as per current needs.
OMCs have achieved average 10% ethanol blending in petrol during Ethanol Supply Year  2021-22. Ethanol storage capacity at various locations in the country is being augmented on ongoing basis, to satisfy requirements arising out of increase in blending to 20%.
This information was given by the Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Shri Rameswar Teli in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today.
Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions
Change in Holiday on account of Id-ul-Zuha 
All Central Government Administrative Offices located at Delhi/New Delhi shall remain closed on 23rd August, 2018 on account of Id-ul-Zuha  holiday .
Ministry of Defence
MANUFACTURING OF DEFENCE EQUIPMENT
The Government has given approval to 45 companies/JVs operating in Defence sector with Foreign OEMs. Further, the Government has taken several policy initiatives in past few years and brought reforms to encourage indigenous design, development and manufacture of defence equipment in the country, thereby reducing dependency on imports in coming years. These initiatives, inter-alia, include according priority to procurement of capital items from domestic sources under Defence Acquisition Procedure -2020; Notification of Three Positive Indigenisation Lists  by Department of Defence Production , MoD with a timeline beyond which they will only be procured from the domestic industry. These three lists consist of total 3,738 items, out of which 2,786 items have been indigenised till February 2023. Simplification of Industrial licensing process with longer validity period; Liberalisation of FDI policy allowing 74% FDI under automatic route; Simplification of Make Procedure; Launch of Innovations for Defence Excellence  scheme involving start-ups & MSMEs; Implementation of Public Procurement , Order 2017; Launch of an indigenisation portal namely SRIJAN to facilitate indigenisation by Indian Industry including MSMEs; Reforms in Offset policy with thrust on attracting investment and Transfer of Technology for Defence manufacturing by assigning higher multipliers; Establishment of two Defence Industrial Corridors one each in Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.
This information was given by Raksha Rajya Mantri Shri Ajay Bhatt in a written reply to Shri Malook Nagar in Lok Sabha today.